Home

From the Desk of the Main Street Program Director

Refresh will help Main Street planning process

by Rae Gosling, Grayling Main Street Program Director

As you may recall, in the last few weeks I have shared with you all the transformation strategy and updated mission and vision statements. These will serve as guides for the Grayling Main Street (GMSt) program over the next several months. We will begin our fourth year as a Select Level Main Street Community this summer, and prepare to participate in the formal National Main Street Refresh.

Throughout the Refresh, GMSt will continue to strive to reach the 10 criteria of accreditation with National Main Street Center while also working toward achieving our mission and actualizing our vision of Downtown Grayling.

Among the 10 criteria there will be a strong emphasis on a few of the elements we have not yet achieved while maintaining the ones we have. The Select Level distinction is designed to help communities accomplish a couple of criteria every year, building up to accreditation at the end of five years.

The criteria we will focus on this year include creating an adequate and sustainable operating budget for the program, as well as improving our historic preservation ethic, and strengthening the support of the GMSt program by building stronger relationships with the community and businesses of Downtown Grayling.

The Refresh will help GMSt to better align our work-planning process to achieve more sustainable results. By starting the planning process earlier in the fiscal year, we will allow ourselves more time to anticipate the following year. Other changes to the work-planning process include diversifying the tasks associated with each event or project. In our current system, events and projects are contained within their committee (Design, Organization, Promotions, or Economic Vitality). Soon, we will begin to spread the responsibilities of each work-plan to the committee best associated with the task. This will serve two core purposes: 1) better internal communication relaying the status of tasks related to projects, and 2) improved sense of team resulting in a more connected and unified program. This will, in theory, help us to build support from the community by showing our concerted efforts to improve Downtown Grayling. This is certainly the most impactful element of the Refresh for GMSt. Improved work-planning practices will assist in all the efforts made to achieve all 10 criteria and become accredited by the National Main Street Center.

Another way we will work toward accreditation in the coming year is a more robust engagement and promotion of our historic preservation ethic. Starting this summer GMSt will partner with the Crawford County Historical Museum, and host Main Street in the Museum, on Thursdays. We will encourage folks to come to the Museum on Main Street, to check out the wonderful history of Grayling, and learn about how our community is working to preserve that legacy.

Want to know more about GMSt upcoming fundraisers and our new partnership program? Check back in future editions of the Avalanche for more From the Main Street Director’s Desk. You can also check out our website, www.DowntownGrayling.com, find us on Facebook, or email your questions to DowntownGrayling@gmail.com.

Rae Gosling is the Program Director for Grayling Main Street. She has been with GMSt since April 2016. She is a Grayling resident, wife, mother, local shopper, avid supporter of all things Grayling, and keeps everyone on their toes wondering what color her hair will be next.